The Journey of a Non-Runner Turned Marathon Runner

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Week 7 of Training – bye bye, grandma arms!

Monday – Light 45 minute workout
My legs were pretty sore from my run on Sunday, but I knew that I would feel much better if I did a light work out. I did 20 minutes on the elliptical to warm up, stretched, and did some abs and arm exercises. I’ve decided that I need to start working on my arms because it just doesn’t look right when my legs are really toned and fit, and my arms are flabby and resemble grandma arms. To combat my grandma arms, I’ve started doing some basic arm exercises 2-3 times a week. Hopefully it helps!

Tuesday – Speed Session on Treadmill
After last week’s speed session, I was really dreading this one. But, much to my surprise, it wasn’t that bad! It was definitely challenging and got my heart rate up, but I didn’t feel totally gassed at the end of each set like I did last week.

Thursday – 2 miles (20 minutes) + armsI had planned to do a 6-7 mile tempo run, but I felt like crap. My calves were tight and hurt, and I was incredibly bored and restless on the treadmill. I decided to cut my losses and I went to the bar to grab a beer with John and his friend.

Friday – 6 mile redemption run (60 minutes)I needed to redeem myself from my pathetic effort on Thursday. I ran around Lake Union and felt relatively OK. My calves were really tight and hurt pretty bad during the first half of the run, so I had to stop a couple times to stretch. By mile 4, I felt pretty good and was able to increase my pace a little. My calves really are a problem during these mid-week runs. I’m thinking about buying calf compression sleeves, which would theoretically keep my calves warm and happy.

Saturday – REST

Sunday – 17 miles (3:03)I headed up to Bellingham on Sunday morning so my dad and I could do our 17 mile run together. This was an important training run for both of us – it would be the farthest I’ve ever run, and it would be the farthest my dad has run in over five years. On Saturday, I went to Road Runners and bought Zensah calf compressions sleeves, so I was excited to try them out during this run. We started at Boulevard Park (where the photo was taken – I look like such a huge dork), went through the ferry terminal, through Fairhaven park, to the Interuban Trail, to Larabee state park (well, almost to the park), and then headed back.

My dad said, “I’m not gonna lie; this is a tough run,” at least ten times during the run, which started driving me crazy after about two miles. My dad was sick last week (which is why we ran on Sunday instead of Saturday – to give him an extra recovery day), so I had more energy than he did. I felt like Jillian Michaels from the Biggest Loser as I forced my dad to at least try to run up the hills. I even called him a sissy for walking up the hill.

At about mile 8/9, my dad motioned for us to stop. He said that he had a surprise and disappeared into the bushes by the trail. I was pretty confident that he was going into the bushes to pee (gross), so I started walking away to give him privacy. But he emerged from the bushes and told me to come back, because he was holding a paper bag full of goodies. Delicious goodies. Prior to the run, he had driven to the trail and stashed a bag with Powerade, two Oreo cookies, a banana and some candy. What a wonderful surprise halfway through the run! We had our snacks and then continued down the trail for another mile. We turned around, started heading back, and we got to enjoy the rest of our treats. I can’t remember the last time I had an Oreo cookie, but eating one while I was running 17 miles and burning over 1,500 calories was a marvelous treat; I did not feel even the slightest bit guilty about eating it.

It took us a little over three hours to finish the run, which includes several stops for GU, snacks, water, and what I would call, “excessive walking.” During long runs, I try to avoid walking as much as possible, unless I’m stopping for water, GU, or I need to lower my heart rate. The problem with walking during long runs is that your legs get cold really fast, making it even harder to start running again. So I got a little cranky when my dad wanted to stop to walk. I probably should have more sympathetic since he is recovering from a nasty cold, but as I said earlier, I was like Jillian Michaels during the run. Push through the pain!

Overall, it was a good run, and I was pretty happy with my Zensah calf compression sleeves. My calves still hurt during the first few miles, but not as bad as they did without the sleeves. Also, I was super impressed with their moisture-wicking capabilities. After my run, when my other running clothes were dripping in stinky sweat, my compression sleeves were not sweaty or smelly. I was amazed. Because they’re supposed to help with recovering, I just put them back on after showering and wore them for the rest of the day.

Total: 31.5 miles
Cross training: 2 hours

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2 thoughts on “Week 7 of Training – bye bye, grandma arms!”

Not every run is a test of one’s character. Training for a marathon is not Biggest Loser or Survivor. It is really real. It is one day at a time, one run at a time. Enjoy the good days when it feels like you are flying. Surive the bad days, when you just can’t get it into gear. Pain needs to be respected, accepted, embraced. It is OK to be a sissy once in a while. Just don’t forget the dream.